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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23141848">Always</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imori_Hikaru/pseuds/Imori_Hikaru'>Imori_Hikaru</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Light Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, Post-Canon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:28:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>634</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23141848</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imori_Hikaru/pseuds/Imori_Hikaru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One morning following Yuri's injury...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Always</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a gentle glow through the thin curtains of Otabek and Yuri's bedroom. Otabek stirred. Yuri was curled in his arms, sleeping soundly. Otabek didn’t particularly want to get up or leave Yuri in bed alone, but he couldn't take the look in Yuri's eyes when he left to train in the mornings. Beautiful emerald green was clouded by pure anguish those mornings. Otabek wanted nothing more than to take away the pain, to take Yuri's place, to do anything at all.</p>
<p>The world was cruel. Of the two of them, Yuri had more promise than Otabek did in the world of skating. His gold medal at the Grand Prix final during his senior debut was enough proof of that. Otabek blamed himself for the accident. He hadn't been there because he was working a gig at a club, but it didn’t matter. He should have been there, or better yet, he should have never taught Yuri how to drive his motor bike.</p>
<p>Otabek sat up, careful not to disturb Yuri. Yuri was sleeping in just a pair of compression style boxers, the rest of his pale skin exposed. Otabek's eyes went immediately to the ugly purple line; it was jagged, raised, and made Otabek uneasy. His fingers found it, gently ghosting over the scar from where it started near the center of Yuri's back up to where it ended between his shoulder blades. The tips of his fingers lingered there for a moment before Otabek finally pulled himself out of bed and went to get ready for practice.</p>
<p>Yuri lay still, biting into his lower lip a little too hard. Once Otabek got out of bed and Yuri heard the bathroom door shut and the water turn on he finally rolled over, lying flat on his back. Yuri squeezing his eyes shut, doing his best to control his breathing and keep the emotions from spilling over.</p>
<p>He had dreamt of skating, as he often did lately. He longed to feel the glide of his blades over the ice and the wind through his hair as he executed his jumps, spins, and intricate step work. Bile rose at the back of his throat. Yuri forced himself to push those thoughts away. There was no point in thinking about skating. He was never going to be out on the ice again. He is lucky to have lived, being able to walk again was a bonus. Asking to be able to skate would be too much.</p>
<p>“Good morning,” Otabek’s hair was dripping. He had on a pair of sweats but no shirt. Yuri could smell the familiar scent of his body wash. “How do you feel?” Otabek had been walking on eggshells with Yuri since he came home from the hospital and frankly Yuri was over it.</p>
<p>“Stop it,” Yuri’s voiced cracked slightly. He sat up quickly, he winced slightly from the fast, sudden movement. “Just fucking stop, Beka.” Otabek’s mouth opened, but he didn’t get a chance to say anything. Yuri’s voice was harsh and full of heat. “I’m tired of your pity. Get your ass in gear and worry about yourself and your skating. I don’t need you to baby me. If you want to make me feel better, then skate and take it seriously. Skate for both of us.” The last few words came out softer, more tentative.</p>
<p>Otabek reached out, stroking the back of Yuri’s lengthy blonde hair. He pulled Yuri’s head gently into the crook of his neck. His hand remained on the back of Yuri’s head and the other rubbed small circles on Yuri’s back, his scar was tender under Otabek’s rough hands.</p>
<p>“I’ll always skate for you, Yurochka.” Otabek whispered before placing a soft kiss to the shell of Yuri’s ear. “Always.”</p>
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